Essex Police are investigating a series of burglaries at petrol stations in Uttlesford which have seen hundreds of pounds worth of cigarettes stolen.

Officers were called to reports of a burglary at the Tesco petrol station in Saffron Walden in the early hours of Monday morning.

The break-in happened at the petrol station in Radwinter Road sometime between 12.15am and 12.40am.

Police are also investigating a burglary at a Tesco petrol station in Dunmow on Stortford Road, which happened around 12.45am on Monday morning and saw cigarettes stolen.

Cigarettes worth hundreds of pounds were taken from the petrol station in Saffron Walden.

Essex Police said that officers were not currently linking the incidents but were keeping “an open mind”.

A spokesman for Tesco said: “We’re pleased to confirm we’re back to serving customers as normal following a break in on Monday night at our Great Dunmow petrol station kiosk. We’re assisting the police with their enquiries.”

The kiosk at Tesco in Saffron Walden re-opened on Tuesday.

Essex Police also confirmed that an investigation into a burglary at a Tesco petrol station in Harlow on Friday, where cigarettes were also stolen in the early hours of the morning, was ongoing.

A spokesman for the force said: “We are investigating a burglary at a petrol station in Harlow. We received reports that entry had been forced into the petrol station on Church Langley Way shortly after 1.15am on Friday and a number of cigarettes had been stolen.”

Anyone with information about any of the incidents is asked to contact police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously.